George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (1609-1670), English military commander, three-time victor over the Dutch. Monck was born in Potheridge, Devonshire. He first commanded troops during the Bishops' War of 1639. During the English Revolution, he fought for King Charles I, but was captured by Parliamentarian forces in 1644 and imprisoned in the Tower of London. In 1647 Monck convinced Parliament of his loyalty and was sent to Ireland, where he served as governor of Ulster. In 1650 he went to Scotland as lieutenant general under Oliver Cromwell, and in 1651, when Cromwell returned to England, he stayed as commander in chief. As one of three generals of the English fleet, he defeated the Dutch in two battles during the wars of 1652-1654.

The attempt by the English general John Lambert to seize dictatorial power, after Richard Cromwell's resignation in 1659, prompted Monck to march into London with the Coldstream Guards from Scotland, and dissolve the Rump Parliament. A new house of Royalist sympathizers was formed, which readily accepted the return of King Charles II in May 1660. After the Restoration, Monck was created duke of Albemarle. In 1666, commanding the fleet with Charles II's cousin, Prince Rupert, Monck again defeated the Dutch. During the plague of 1665 and the fire of 1666, he managed the city government of London.